Hywel Thomas: Why old Europe is looking good to me...

I REMEMBER some 30 years ago or more watching a television programme looking at the influence of American (US) culture around the world on everything from fashion and food to music and “malls” – that’s shopping centres, to you and me.

I REMEMBER some 30 years ago or more watching a television programme looking at the influence of American (US) culture around the world on everything from fashion and food to music and “malls” – that’s shopping centres, to you and me.

Much of the programme focused on fast-food outlets in the United States and their speed and efficiency and also out-of-town retail parks.

The presenter emphasised that where the United States led, the UK would surely follow.

He predicted that big shopping “malls” and retail parks would be common-place in Britain, 10 to 15 years into the future.

His predictions would prove to be accurate. But his assertion that we, in the UK, were at least a decade “behind” the US didn’t sit comfortably with me. Perhaps it’s “nitpicking” or semantics on my part but the presenter’s use of the word “behind” seemed to imply that what was happening in the US was progress.

There’s a degree of inevitability, proven throughout history, that the customs, architecture, culture and languages of the world’s most powerful countries will permeate the cultures of other and smaller nations. Some of these influences can be for the good and others not so good.

How countries respond to these external influences and trends vary greatly and their receptiveness to embrace them or otherwise often depends on language or a common language.

This I think is particularly true in the relationship between the UK and the United States.

The US had a captive audience in the UK through the powerful media of television and film. And it was the American icons of film that would dominate our screens and their fashions, the windows of our shops.

We welcomed these changes without so much as a second thought but at what price? More on that later.

Other countries have been more resistant to change – less willing to see the homogenisation of their streets, shops and cafes and the erosion of their cultures.

France, being a particularly good example, though not immune to the penetration of fast food outlets such as McDonald’s and the Starbucks cafe chain.

In Paris for example, big businesses subsidise small businesses and patisseries are subsidised by the Government so that local bakeries cannot be pushed out of neighbourhoods or priced off the high streets by the big chains.

This sort of support for local independent shops makes for a far more colourful and interesting neighbourhood – the antithesis of homogeneity.

Occasionally, I’ll read comments from various UK journalists criticising the French for taking a stance too far on this or that issue – for supposedly standing in the way of progress. But when I visit France and see the streets teeming with character, I say thank you.

So while the French stood firm to preserve their identity and the character of their neighbourhoods we, in the UK, followed the American path of fast food among other things.

It is not surprising that the United States has the highest obesity levels among adults anywhere in the world at 33% – a worrying statistic which is also a major health issue here.

The UK is now the obesity capital of Europe with 23.9% of women and 22% of men classified as obese.

And while obesity levels in France have increased to 14.5 % they remain considerably lower than in the UK and US.

The out-of-town retail parks in the UK predicted over 30 years ago did materialise – soulless places that would deal another blow to high streets and neighbourhoods across the UK and sadly change the face of entire communities forever. Their fate would be compounded by the increasing dominance of the big chains.

We would do well it would seem to emulate the French – to preserve the character and identity of our towns and better-support local businesses.

I’m reminded of the words of Donald Rumsfeld from the former George Bush administration when he described France as “old Europe” for their opposition to the war in Iraq. Well, if this is how old Europe looks – it looks good to me and I’ll take it any day over a “new Europe” modelled on the United States.